Court Sentences 40-Year-Old to 4 Years in Prison for Wielding a Weapon to Increase YouTube Views

A man in his 40s who was prosecuted for wielding a weapon to increase his YouTube views was sentenced to four years in prison.

According to the legal community on the 6th, the Criminal Division 11 of Daejeon District Court (Presiding Judge Choi Seok-jin) sentenced Mr. A (40), who was charged with violating the Act on the Punishment of Violent Acts (habitual offender), obstruction of official duties, and repeated assault, to four years in prison.

Mr. A is accused of engaging in dangerous behavior such as wielding a weapon on a street in Dong-gu, Daejeon, at 1:55 a.m. on November 5 last year, with the purpose of increasing views on his YouTube channel.

He repeatedly assaulted victim Mr. B, who tried to stop him, and threw the circular top part of a parking sign at the victim, causing injury. He is also accused of slapping another victim, Mr. C, who tried to stop the assault.

Mr. A had been sentenced to prison more than twice for violent crimes and was released in March 2022, but was found to have committed assault again during the recidivism period. Additionally, in September last year, he visited the office of Boeun County Office in Chungbuk, kicked office equipment, and threatened public officials with abusive language.

The prosecution combined three cases including assault and obstruction of official duties and brought Mr. A to trial.

Mr. A’s defense attorney argued, “The defendant has mental illnesses such as depression and anger control disorder, so consideration should be given to his impaired ability to distinguish objects and make decisions.”

In response, the court acknowledged, “It is recognized that the defendant was hospitalized multiple times for mental illnesses,” but judged, “Considering the circumstances, methods, and behavior before and after the crime, it is difficult to see that the above mental illnesses manifested or that his decision-making ability was impaired.”

The court explained the sentencing reason, stating, “The nature of the crime is very bad as the defendant committed violence against strangers, and there is no acceptable reason for assaulting multiple victims seven times over four months starting from July last year, only four months after his release.”